Georgian premier celebrates country's EU candidate status as 'victory'

TBILISI, Georgia

Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili congratulated the country’s citizens on Thursday following the European Council’s decision to grant candidate status to Georgia, saying it is “truly a victory for our country and our people.”

Recalling that the government has been making intensive efforts towards Georgia's integration with the European Union, Garibashvili said this success belongs to the Georgian people, Agenda.ge news reported.

"This is really a well-earned, well-deserved status that we, the government, have gained with our people and for our people. We fought, we won,” he said at a press conference.

European Council President "Charles Michel called me today and personally congratulated me on today’s decision and this historic victory. I have the honor to convey his congratulations to the Georgian people," he added.

Garibashvili invited the public to a celebration event at Freedom Square in the capital Tbilisi on Friday to celebrate the European Council’s decision.

Separately, he said on X: "Georgia is Europe candidate country! Grateful to the EU Council leaders Charles Michel, (Ursula) von der Leyen, Oliver Varhelyi for acknowledging civilizational choice. We remain dedicated and eagerly look forward to advancing on our integration path."

While the EU granted candidate status to Georgia, it also decided to initiate accession negotiations with Ukraine and Moldova.

*Alperen Aktas contributed to this story from Istanbul